Blogging 101 | Being a Book Blogger (An Author’s Perspective)

August 11, 2016

to Read
(

Words)

For a long time now, a collaborative idea for Finding Wonderland has been bubbling. The problem was I hadn’t sat down to put words to paper sharing said idea. The idea isn’t so much inventive as it is an event that will hopefully offer interested readers a chance to ask some questions, and my fellow blogging friends a chance to offer their expertise (and more importantly to this girl) allowing me to advertise their amazing creativeness. Submit your questions, and find out more in the Introduction post.

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Happy Thursday, Finding Wonderland readers. Today, the Blogging 101 series continues with our first guest contribution! I'm really excited about this because our guest is Meghan Gorecki. Both author and blogger, Meghan was one of my first readers at Finding Wonderland since I "knew" her before I even began this blog thanks to a little publication called Femnista. Since my entrance into the blogging world, I've been enabled to visit others blogs, and been able to get to know Meghan better. Her lovely talents as a writer, blogger and genuine ability to share her faith never cease to surprise (in the best way) and impress me. It's for these reasons and others that I asked Meghan to join this series. Needless to say, I'm thrilled she said yes. Meghan, thank you so much for joining Blogging 101. I appreciate you lending your voice and expertise to say nothing of taking the time and effort to join this. Without further ado, read about Meghan's insight as a book blogger (from an author and blogger's perspective), and read all the way through because Meghan offers some wonderful tips for bloggers! (Including advice about honesty and kindness in a book review.)

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Being a Book Blogger (An Author’s Perspective)

by Meghan M. Gorecki | @MeghanMGorecki

The “hat” of Book Blogger is worn
by many, but oftentimes it is not the sole occupation of any one blogger. Other
hats such as wife, mother, full-time employee somewhere, daughter, sister,
student, teacher—you name it, the book blogging community is rich and varied.
And ever expanding. If you love to read, and talk about books—you can be a book
blogger. I have seen firsthand what a difference book blogging can make. In the
lives of readers, who may just become new friends thanks to what a unifier love
of story can be. AND—in the lives of the authors. Trust me—in addition to
wearing the hat of blogger I first and foremost wear the hat of author.

Writing a book is truly a labor of
love, whether it is the author’s first, fifth or fiftieth novel. Unlike the
heroines like Anne Shirley or Jo March of old who sent full, paper manuscripts
into publishers—today’s journey to publication is ravaged with a lot of
patience-trying waiting, proper protocols to follow—and this is all before an
author gains a contract! Even for independent authors trying to make it in the
industry—it is extremely hard work to put out a book that took up so much
energy, blood, sweat and tears. Just in the hope of sharing it and praying it
has an impact on readers and that people like it! It is a calling, I know that
full well—but one fraught with moments of thinking, “Is it really worth it? Why do I bother?” This is why book reviews
are gold to authors. Even the not-very-favorable ones, much as they can hurt.
We see people reading a part of our lifeblood, and it bolsters us to keep on
writing.

When you read and take the time to
review a book, you are using your sphere of influence—no matter how great or
small the number of followers you have—to get the word out about a book. In
sharing about a book you enjoyed, you are reaching out—extending it to other
potential readers and this grows and swells into a thriving community that is
both a blessing to readers and authors alike. I have met some of my dearest
faraway friends and other kindred spirited authors through book blogging. Our amazing hostess here Rissi being one of
them! :) (Thank you so much for the kind words, Meghan. This community is indeed an amazing place to be a part of – and I agree. There are SO many spirited bloggers out there, and it’s a pleasure to be a small part of this community.)

Like anything else in life—becoming
an established book blogger is a process, but one that is so worth it no matter
how daunting it may seem! A few things to remember that has taken me years to
learn (and I am still a work in progress) about book blogging:

Know your limits. Your reading speed and “real life” schedule need to be taken
into account when book blogging. More often than not when you’re book blogging
either through a publisher’s blogger program or a book tour service—you have a
specific day or time frame in which to post your review. Too many books To Read
and Review at once ends up being a great disservice to the books and siphons a
lot of joy out of it.

Reach out! Read other book bloggers whether you’re just dipping your
toes into the world of book blogging or whether you’re a seasoned blogger. Read
their thoughts on a book that may look intriguing to you or a book you may’ve
already read! Comment, generate conversation. You won’t ever be sorry. And this mode of making friends is doubly
amazing for introverts too. J

Always be honest—but kind. For me, it is legitimately rare that I dislike a book so
strongly I can’t form many words. There are some, however, that just did not
hook me and it was a fight to read towards The End. Through no glaring faults
of the author’s—I just couldn’t connect and we all have our preferences in what
we read. In this case, if it is a review book—be honest but try not to outright
say, “I just didn’t like these aspects.” Balance
out what you weren’t a fan of or would’ve preferred to see more of with the
good points of the story—there always are some. Just like you try and look for
the good in people, even difficult people—look for the good in books that may
not end up on your Favorites list.

Feel free to share in the comments your own favorite things
about book blogging or if you’re intrigued to start book blogging, ask any
questions at all!

And thank you again, Rissi, for putting on this wonderful
series!

Amazon || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Pinterest||WebsiteMeghan M. Gorecki is an author of inspirational
fiction, a blogger, book reviewer and voracious reader. Taking her life a day
at a time as God leads, she is pursuing a career in the publishing industry as
an editor in training and as a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. A
hopeless romantic, history and Marvel nut, she's also a redhead (thanks to a
box), who knows way too much trivia about movie musicals and the Civil War.
Find her on social media and at her blog, A Northern Belle (www.northernbellemeg.com)

18 comments:

Really great post! I cannot agree more with both of your points. When I first started my blog, I felt too shy to comment on other bloggers' posts - I felt like I didn't have anything interesting to say at all. But once I finally got over the hurdle, I started commented all the time and have found it to be the best decision I ever made! I love all the conversations I have with other bloggers and I have made such great connections. The book community is nothing but welcoming and exceedingly friendly, so reaching out is great advice.

It's also super important to me to be respectful, even if you really, really disliked a book. There's no real need to be rude. And, (you know, just to agree with all your points), knowing your limits is incredibly important. Some blogs might post daily, and while that sounds like an awesome idea, it's just not practical for everyone - and that's okay!Great post!

I know many bloggers feel the same way, Jordan. It can be tough to comment on others blogs especially if you don't know them. Sometimes it's good to push ourselves out of our comfort zone. I know I have over the years with blogging and usually, it's been a very good thing.

Ditto. I LOVE all the conversations too. It's been so fun and like you said, this community is so welcoming.

Well said, Jordan. Meghan has some great points about respect in this post and I so appreciate her sharing about them. Glad you stopped by. Echoing Meghan: Great to meet you! :)

Great advice! I really need to comment on others' blogs more. I really like blogs that use a commenting platform that notifies me of a response since I most likely don't return to see if there will be one. I totally agree with you about the importance of being both honest and kind. It can be a struggle sometimes to balance that if a book really didn't resonate with me... but it's worth the effort, right? ;)

Wasn't it, Heidi!? So appreciate Meghan putting this together and sharing her wisdom. :)

I like comment systems that notify bloggers too. In fact I've considered adding one to this blog, but when I do on my test blog, it tends to mess up my existing comments and I'm just no up for that. ;)

AH! Bekah! You just made my day! (As well as your comments on my blog!!) I've been following you for a while now as a silent, drooling reader LOL (I seriously just bookmarked the S'Mores Dip to make hopefully this week!) and it's so great to see you here and over at my blog! <3

Have a thought? Don't be shy, go ahead and leave one... or two... or three! I reply to every comment. If you're new to the blog, please don't hesitate to introduce yourself and your blog - we love chatting around here!

Feedback and every comment is appreciated and read - I always leave a response; your opinions are respected and I ask that you show mine the same courtesy.

(If you post under “anonymous,” please leave a name. If you don't have a Google account, you can type your name into the Name/URL and if you have no site, just leave "URL" blank.)

If you are still reading my ramblings, thank you for following this little blog and for being one of its supporters. I’ve enjoyed getting to know each of you, friends!

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